What’s Up in Beer: Tiki Expands, Boxing Cat Bought Out, Beerio Kart at 8-Bit, Football and Brunch at Arrow

Spring has embraced us gently this week, and as such we're gearing ready to spend a weekend hanging outside of our favorite beer venues (as long as the sun's out, that is). Here's where we'll be.

First up, not so beer related but maybe you're looking for a change: one of our Gulou favorites, The Tiki Bungalow, has doubled its size by expanding into the space immediately next door, adding an extra 30 seats and standing room for 20, and branded as the Iguana Room (presence of live reptiles yet to be confirmed). If tropical cocktails are not your thing, Tiki also stock's Jing-A's Tuhao Gold Pilsner. The grand opening is tonight (Mar 3) at 7pm until late. Show up with wearing your favorite tiki shirt and you might get lucky with some gifts from Jing-A and shots on the house.

Next up, let’s spare some time for gossip: you may have heard that AB-InBev has acquired the popular Boxing Cat beer brand in Shanghai. The move follows just after AB-InBev's purchase of Kaiba (also in Shanghai), and Goose Island in America. Go big or stay small? Remain true to your independent roots or jump ship and monetize? It's never an easy decision but we're happy to see popular brewpubs in China gain some traction and attention. No matter what, as CW Shanghai reports, brewmaster Michael Jordan and the team are staying on to operate so that's a good sign in terms of quality control. If you happen to be heading down south any time soon, check out our Shanghai drinking guide here.

Still obsessed with Mario Kart (yes) and love beer (duh)? Join likeminded folk this Saturday (Mar 4) at 8-Bit for the first Beerio Kart Tournament, which involves, well, drinking beer and playing Mario Kart. The winner of each round will get a free beer and a free pass to the next round. The top two winners stand to win even more prizes. Arrow Factory’s Guanxi Pale Ale will also be on tap for RMB 25 the whole night. There's undoubtedly no better way to make guanxi than through guzzling Guanxi Pale Ale and yelling at strangers while playing MK.

Arrow Factory (Liangma River) weekend brunch is still going strong, every set including a coffee or tea (plus refill). You can also add RMB 25 for your choice of any beer on the menu. To make Saturday more fun, management have added a day-long buy-one-get-one-free deal on Blonde on Blonde Belgian Ale.

If you're a footie fan looking to post up, then catch Premier League games Manchester United vs. Bournemouth (8.30pm), Leicester City vs. Hull City (11pm), both on March 3; Tottenham vs. Everton (9.30pm) on March 5; and the China Super League Beijing Guo'an va Guangzhou Evergrande (7.35pm) on March 5.

Also, if you want the fancy experience at Great Leap Brewing’s Beijing Invitational Craft Beer Festival over the weekend of March 10-12, then you'll want to sign up to the Brewer’s Brunch (11am-2.30pm on Mar 12) for RMB 650. Chefs from TRB Copper team up with the GLB crew for five courses and tapas, all paired carefully with selected beers, such as slow-cooked salmon with Victory Golden Monkey Triple, and roasted guinea fowl with Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black (see the full brunch menu in the event listing). Read more about what to expect at the festival here.

​For anyone with no plans this weekend and hankering for some snow, join Jing-A’s Spring Fever Ski Break for a weekend away drinking beer and falling down the slopes of Thaiwoo Resort. RMB 1,700 gets you unfettered access to free-flow Jing-A beers, round the bus ride, accommodation, party, dinner, and more. There are still some spots left, for which you can register here. Mug Club members can get RMB 100 off by typing this code: MUGCLUB.

Finally, we visited a couple of new brewpubs this past week, including Regain Element located on the first alley that you encounter heading south when entering from the east end of Wudaoying. With strong selection of nine beers on tap, including one of their own brews, and a great little outdoor space to watch life go by, we have high hopes for this one. Check back for a full review tomorrow.

We also dropped by the Flying Kangaroo on Guanghua Lu (I'm a poet etc. etc.), in the space that once was Godfathers. Owner Dan Duggan has completely remodeled the joint, complete with Aussie paraphernalia and sports memorabilia. Looks to be another warm and welcoming bar to hit up now that the days are getting sunnier and the nights increasingly balmier.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photos courtesy of venues, Tracy Wang, Dan Duggan